Did you know there are more than 166.5 million eyeglass users in the US?
Prescription eyeglasses are a significant investment. Yet, many users don't realize how easy it is to damage them with a lack of care. Even when they do try to take care of their glasses, they make common mistakes like using harsh chemicals, coarse fabric, or ignoring the frame.
We've all done it: fogging our glasses with our breath and wiping it off with our t-shirt. That may seem like the quickest way to get rid of smudges, but it damages your lens in the long run. Every time you wipe the lens with a cloth that isn't microfiber, you create micro scratches that ruin its clarity slowly but surely.
The best way to clean glasses is by using a trusted eyeglass cleaner. In this guide, you will learn about the common mistakes while cleaning your glasses and how to avoid them. Not only that, keep reading to find the best eyeglass cleaner recommendations.
9 Common Mistakes When Cleaning Eyewear
While there are countless ways you can damage the frame and lens of your eyeglasses, some of the common mishaps happen while cleaning. Which include:
Using Harsh Chemicals: Why It Damages Your Lenses
It is easy to assume that your regular glass surface cleaner will do the trick, but it's far from the truth. It will not only damage your lens but can also irritate your eyes.
These everyday house-cleaning products contain harsh chemicals like ammonia or alcohol that can damage the lens coating. These chemicals not only reduce the effectiveness of your eyeglasses but also minimize their lifespan.
What You Should Avoid
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Household Cleaning Products: Cleaning solutions like window cleaner, bleach, dish soap, or vinegar can damage the protective coating on your lens. These products might provide temporary shine but result in a dull or distorted appearance.
- Beauty Products: Most people try using makeup-removal solutions like micellar water or skincare wipes to clean their glasses. While these products may be gentle on your skin, they are not designed to clean lenses. They leave a thin, sticky film on the glasses, attracting dirt.
What You Should Use
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Eye Glass Cleaner: Use a cleaner that is specifically designed to clean your eyeglass. Look for solutions that are labeled safe for different lens coatings. You can ask your optician for the best options available.
- Ultrasonic Glass Cleaner: Invest in the best ultrasonic cleaner, like Sonic Soak, to level your eyeglass cleaning. It uses high-frequency sound waves to create tiny bubbles in the water to thoroughly clean the dirt of the lens. You do not need any harsh chemicals with this device to make your glasses look as good as new!
Avoiding Scratches: The Importance of a Soft Cloth
Have you ever tried to clean your glasses with your t-shirt? It is one of the most common eyeglass cleaning practices in the world.
Tissues, towels, t-shirts, and the hem of your dress might seem convenient, but these fabrics can significantly damage the lens. They cause micro scratches that degrade the clarity of your eyeglasses. What seems like a simple cleaning method can end up compromising the long-term quality of your lenses.
What You Should Avoid
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Embellished Cloth: Even if you are using the softest cloth ever manufactured, if it has embellishments, it can destroy your eyeglasses. It can instantly wear down the lens surface, making your vision blurry.
- Rough Fabric: Avoid using knitted fabrics, towels, or nets to clean your lens. Even if the lens is scratch-resistant, it is not scratch-proof. These materials will form scratches on your glasses and reduce lens clarity.
What You Should Use
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Microfiber Cloth: A microfiber cloth is the best fabric to clean your eyeglasses. This soft and gentle fabric is specifically designed to clean any surface without scratching it. You can use it wet or dry to keep your glasses looking pristine at all times.
- Trusted Cleaner: You can double down on the microfiber cloth's benefit by using it with a cleaner. If you clean your lens using an ultrasonic glasses cleaner, clean the water off the eyeglasses using a microfiber cloth for a spotless finish.
Neglecting Regular Cleaning: Why Consistency Matters
Cleaning your glasses shouldn't only be done when the lens is entirely blurry. The lens in your eyeglasses constantly accumulates dirt, oils, and other pollutants from the environment.
It is important to clean your glasses from time to time. If not, eventually, you will be ready to pay for expensive lens repairs. These particles may appear unnoticeable at first, but they can accumulate over time and affect the sharpness of your lens.
Why Regular Cleaning Is Important
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Dirt Accumulation: If you leave your lens uncleaned for a long time, dirt can accumulate and impair its clarity. It can also get in the nooks and crannies of your eyeglasses frame, making it a hassle later on.
- Reduced Lens Lifespan: Continuous neglect can reduce the lifespan of your eyeglasses. Typically, eyeglasses last 1 to 3 years. But, with proper care, you can increase their shelf-life.
How Often Should You Clean
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Daily Cleaning: Cleaning your eyeglasses daily is the best practice to prolong their life and maintain exceptional lens clarity. Sonic Soak is the best ultrasonic cleaner to make your everyday cleaning easy. It offers industrial-grade within the comfort of your home.
- Professional Cleaning: Once every 6 to 8 months, you should get your prescription eyeglasses professionally checked. The trained experts will not only deep clean your glasses but also repair minor damages.
Cleaning Lenses with Your Shirt: A Big No-No
As mentioned above, one of the most common ways of cleaning eyeglasses is with your shirt. It's quick, convenient, and seems harmless. After all, your shirt is always nearby. As easy as it may seem, it is one of the worst practices for the lens.
Most shirts are made of cotton or a blend of cotton with synthetic fiber. Since cotton is abrasive, it can damage your lens. It may not show up soon, but in the long run, you will experience reduced clarity in your vision.
Why You Should Avoid It
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Dirt and Oils: You might not even notice, but your shirt may have dirt and oil buildup. It can easily spread on the lens while cleaning and make the clarity even worse. Not only that, small particles of dust can cause micro scratches on the lens when rubbed around.
- Abrasive texture: Cotton, linen, and wool are abrasive fabrics. Using these fabrics to clean your eyeglasses can damage them beyond repair.
What You Should Use
- Microfiber Cleaning Cloth: Keep a piece of microfiber cloth within each to clean your eyeglasses. With a quick search on the internet, you can find hundreds of small glass cleaning gadgets with microfiber attached to them. It is the best eyeglass cleaner that does not require any cleaning solution or electricity.
Ignoring the Frame: Keeping Your Eyeglasses Fully Clean
If you think your eyeglass frames do not require the same amount of attention, think again. In fact, it is one of the most neglected components of eyeglasses when it comes to cleaning.
With time, dirt and oils can accumulate on your glasses frame socially on the hinges and nose pads. Not only does this damage your frames, but it can also cause rash and acne on your skin.
Why Frames Need Attention
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Increase Its Lifespan: Removing the dirt and grime from all the corners of your glass frame can significantly increase its lifespan. It will prevent discoloration, scratches, and deformation.
- Prevent Hinge and Nose Pad Deterioration: Nose pads and hinges are constantly in contact with your skin. They can accumulate dead skin, makeup, and sweat over time. It can clog your hinges and cause the nose pads to deteriorate.
What You Should Do
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Use an Ultrasonic Cleaner: The best way to give a gentle yet comprehensive bath to your eyeglasses is by using an ultrasonic cleaner. It is one of the best eyeglass cleaners that can help remove all the dirt and buildup on your frame, leaving it squeaky clean.
- Scrub a Little: Yes, you can scrub your glasses frames. Since they are not as delicate as the lenses, you can use a soft toothbrush and dish soap for deep cleaning. Wipe it off with a microfiber cloth for frames that are as good as new.
The Dangers of Hot Water: Proper Temperature for Lens Care
Hot water is the best option when you need to deep cleanse things. But this is not the case for eyeglasses. High temperatures can damage the protective coatings on your lens. These coatings can crack, peel, or degrade under heat.
It also loosens the wrap and hinges of the frame. Since most frames are made of plastic, really high temperatures also pose a risk of melting the plastic.
Why Is Hot Water Damaging
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Damages Protective Coating: Most eyeglasses come with a UV-protection layer, anti-fog coating, or scratch-resistant finish. Hot water can break these coatings and impair the functionality of the lens.
- Warps Plastic Frame: Hot water can mess with the form of your frames, leading to an improper fit. It can also cause discoloration in your frames.
What You Should Use
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Luke Warm Water: The best option is to use lukewarm water to clean your eyeglasses. This temperature removes dirt and oils effectively. It is gentle on your frame and lens, resulting in a thorough cleanse without causing any damage.
- Room Temperature Water with Ultrasonic Waves: If you do not want to use warm water, you can use room temperature water with an ultrasonic glasses cleaner. Its advanced technology uses gentle ultrasonic waves to get rid of dirt and oil without heat damage.
Using Paper Towels: How They Can Scratch Your Glasses
Paper towels might seem like a convenient option for wiping down your glasses, but they do more harm than good. It is also one of the most common materials people use to clean their glasses.
Since tissue paper is easily available everywhere, people use it to clean their frames and lenses without a second thought.
Why You Should Avoid
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Abrasive Fibers: Don't fall for the ultra-soft feel of the tissue papers. Even the softest paper towels contain wood fibers that can leave tiny scratches on your lenses.
- Harsh Chemicals: Some paper towels are treated with fragrance. Since these fragrances are nothing but chemicals, they can degrade the quality of your eyeglasses.
What You Should Use
- Synthetic Microfiber: As mentioned above, the best fabric to clean your eyeglasses is a microfiber cloth. It is made of synthetic fibers that glide smoothly on the lens surface without causing any damage. Unlike paper towels, a microfiber cloth is a sustainable option because of its reusable nature.
Skipping Rinse Before Wiping: How Dust Can Cause Damage
It might sound very uncommon, but washing your eyeglasses is crucial to maintaining hygiene. Thoroughly wash your eyeglasses before wiping them with a microfiber cloth.
Skipping this part means the dust will move across the lens surface and cause scratches. All you have to do is run it under tap water to get rid of loose dirt.
Why You Should Rinse
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Gets Rid of Dust: Tiny particles of dust can accumulate on our eyeglasses and scratch the lens surface while cleaning. Even if you are using a soft cloth, these microparticles can be rubbed around with the fiber, causing damage.
- Protect Lens Coatings: Rinsing helps prevent the buildup of residue that can degrade protective coatings on your lens. For example, anti-glare or scratch-resistant layers last a long time if you ring your glasses first.
What You Should Do
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Give It a Quick Rinse: Give your eyeglasses a rinse before cleaning them with a cloth. It will not only get rid of dust particles but also ensure maximum clarity of your lens.
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Use Luke Warm Water: Even though tap water is also a good option, using lukewarm water is the best water temperature to clean your eyeglasses.
- Use Modern Tools: If you want to use simple tap water to cleanse your eyeglasses, add it to an ultrasonic glasses cleaner. It is the best eyeglass cleaner that uses simple water and ultrasonic waves to deep clean every corner of your eyeglasses.
Improper Storage: Keeping Your Glasses Safe from Harm
Lastly, you need to properly store your eyeglasses. It's convenient to throw them in your bag or put them face down on the side table when you're not using them. But it's the worst way to treat your prescription glasses.
Now that you've learned how to properly clean your eyeglasses, it's important to learn the correct eyeglass storage technique.
What You Should Avoid
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Placing Them Face Down: Putting your glasses face down on a hard surface can cause smudges and scratches on the lens.
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Storing With Other Hard Objects: Throwing your glasses in your bag with other hard objects can also damage the lens and warp the frame.
- Putting Them in Your Pocket: Putting your eyeglasses in your pocket can put pressure on them with movement. It can cause the frame to break or the lens to pop out.
What You Should Do
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Use a Hard Case: Always store them in a hard eyeglass case. It saves the lens and frame from potential damage. These cases usually come with the glasses, but you can also purchase them online or from physical stores.
- Secure Them in a Drawer: If you do not have a hard box, then keep your glasses in your drawer when not in use. Make sure you place it facing up and there are no sharp objects in the drawer.
FAQs
1. Can I use toothpaste to clean my eyeglasses?No, cleaning your eyeglass lens with toothpaste is not a good idea. Even though it may seem gentle, most toothpaste has abrasive ingredients to clean your teeth that can cause micro scratches on the lens. It is better to use a good quality eye glass cleaner.
2. How do I remove scratches from glasses?Sadly, once your eyeglass lens gets scratched, it's really hard to fix the damage. You can reduce the appearance of these scratches to an extent using DIY remedies. But there is no exact way to reverse the damage.
3. Can you use vinegar to clean eyeglasses?Even though a small amount of vinegar is not harmful to your eyeglasses, you should still avoid using it. The acidity can damage the UV protection or anti-fog coating on your lens. Invest in the best ultrasonic cleaner for effortless eyeglass cleaning. 
Conclusion
Your eyeglasses are an investment in proper vision and style. Let's admit prescription glasses, UV-protection glasses, or anti-fog glasses are not cheap. Therefore, taking care of them should be your top priority.
Avoiding these common eyeglass cleaning mistakes can elongate the life of your glasses. From using the best eyeglass cleaner to applying the right techniques, everything matters if you want to avoid costly repairs and replacements.
Invest in modern ultrasonic glasses cleaners like Sonic Soak so cleaning your glasses doesn't seem a chore. You can enjoy spotless lenses without the risk of scratches or damage!
